WHEN Chris Coleman leads Wales out in this afternoon’s grudge Euro 2016 clash with England he will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of another former Blackburn Rovers defender.

You have to go back 32 years to May 2, 1984 for the last time Wales beat England.

That night a debut goal from future Rovers player and manager Mark Hughes was enough to earn the Red Dragons a famous 1-0 win at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham.

Wales were managed by their former captain, Mike England, the classy and commanding centre-half who came through the ranks at Rovers and went on to make 184 appearances at Ewood Park before joining Tottenham Hotspur, where he won honours at home and abroad.

It was the second time that Mike had got one over the old enemy in the space of four years.

On May 17, 1980 he enjoyed a dream start to his Wales reign as his side destroyed Ron Greenwood’s Three Lions 4-1 at the Racecourse.

Mike, who says Rovers will always hold a special place in his heart, having joined the club as a 15-year-old boy, is hoping for a similar result in Lens this afternoon.

And he believes the sense of togetherness that has been fostered by Coleman, who made 32 appearances for Rovers in the mid-90s, could help Wales pull off a shock at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

“It should be great, Wales v England are always exciting clashes,” said Mike, who was a member of Rovers’ 1959 FA Youth Cup winning side.

“England will be favourites but Wales are very well-organised and they are a difficult team to beat. I don’t think many teams will want to face them.

“And, of course, they have Gareth Bale up front. He’s a superstar and, the thing is with football, it only takes a couple of seconds to score a goal.

“So if Wales can keep organised, like they are, then that could be the way it’s going to go.

“Wales have got some good players and it’s a good squad, no doubt about it, but the best thing about them is they are well-organised and tight-knit.

“They’re all pulling together, and they’re all on the same wavelength, and once you’ve got that you’ve always got a chance.”

Wales and England have met four times since Hughes’ bullet header, 17 minutes into his international debut, settled one of the final matches in the Home Championship before it was discontinued.

The Three Lions won both 2006 World Cup qualifiers between the countries, including Hughes’ penultimate match in charge of the Red Dragons before concentrating solely on managing Rovers, and both Euro 2012 qualifiers, all without conceding a goal.

See Monday’s Lancashire Telegraph for a full interview with Mike England about his time at Blackburn Rovers